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I was convinced for the longest time Potter was a Jane Doe in Orange County, Florida. But dentals ruled it out.

I too was convinced... and to be honest I'm not totally convinced that they got the dentals right. The reason? The NCIC database has a serious flaw - it doesn't recognize dental records all the time!!!

That flaw was one of the reasons that three states went to another system. For an excellent explanation of why dentals aren't always a good identifier (although they should be):

Shannon Lee Potter ,13, Missing March 3, 1984 from Baltimore, MD

Date Of Birth: July 20, 1970
Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5; 140 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes.
Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Potter was last seen in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland on March 3, 1984.

She lived with her mother in Parkville, and she left home one night through a bedroom window, leaving a note.

Her family thought she'd go stay with her father or someone else in the family. Foul play is suspected.

From the Charley Project...

The following information came from the Charley Project link, provided by Meaghan (previous post):

(quote) Potter's mother received a letter from her on March 8, five days after she disappeared; it was postmarked Orlando, Florida. No one has heard from Potter since then. Prior to her disappearance she made several long-distance telephone calls to Florida, Colorado and Mississippi. It is unknown if the calls were related to her disappearance, which remains unsolved. Due to the lack of information in Potter's case, it is classified as a non-family abduction. (unquote)

This would seem to indicate that Florida was her intended destination. It would seem that if she was so quick to write her Mom after leaving home, she would also have continued to keep in touch. The fact that she didn't might indicate that she met with foul play.

I wonder if any of the Florida Jane Does recently posted on the Doenet website might match with her description.

Wasn't there a guy in GA who would get girls to runaway to his house have them write a letter home sayig they were ok and then hold them hostage in a "dungon" untill he killed and dumped them on his farm? Maybe he was close to Fl and had the letter mailed from there to throw the police off. Even if he didn't do it I know there was a guy in ca who did the same even taking one of the women home to visit family but she was to scared to tell them what was going on. I know one of the vic reported him but he had her send her family a letter sying she was in rehab so when she came home the police didn't belive her even though when they did arrest him the car she described was an exact match in every aspect execpt the make was off by 1 year. point being I think a lot more people than we think are held long after their abductions by sicko's. I would hope she is happily ever after somewhere like the girl they found in TX not to long ago and just dosen't want contact with her family.

Wasn't there a guy in GA who would get girls to runaway to his house have them write a letter home sayig they were ok and then hold them hostage in a "dungon" untill he killed and dumped them on his farm?

I'm curious, do you remember how, in those pre-internet days, did the guy get girls who lived hundreds of miles from his location to run away? Pen Pal?

On a different note, it seems to me that there are chances that this girl may still be alive, but estranged from her family. Of the thousands of kids who run away each year there must be some among those who don't come back that simply don't want to come back.

I really think she could be the Lake Ponchartrain doe. I know the doe is thought to be 20 but the original estimate when she was found was between 17-20 years old. Shannon would have just turned 16 at the time this doe was found. However if she got implants from whoever she ran off with in Florida, and was pregnant at that age she could be mistaken as being a few years older. Height and weight match, both had near perfect teeth. The scar on the abdomen match and both had fractures of the pelvis bone. This doe not being identified fits with a runaway who left with an older man. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/...r_shannon.htmlhttp://www.doenetwork.org/cases/16ufla.html

Date Of Birth: July 20, 1970
Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5; 140 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes.
Marks, Scars: Scars on her abdomen and near her left eye. Fractured pelvis.
Clothing: Shannon may have been wearing high khaki boots and a white fur coat.
Dentals: Available.
DNA: Available.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Potter was last seen in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland on March 3, 1984.
She lived with her mother in Parkville, and she left home one night through a bedroom window, leaving a note.

Her family thought she'd go stay with her father or someone else in the family. Foul play is suspected.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning Potter's whereabouts, please contact:

Shannon Lee Potter A teenage girl climbed out of her bedroom one evening in 1984. That was the last night she was seen, and more than 25 years later, her disappearance remains a mystery.

Shannon Lee Potter was 13 when she slipped out the window of her Parkville-area home and went to a party on March 3, 1984. Little else is known about what happened to her that night and why she has been missing ever since, according to Baltimore County police and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"There's very little information about her disappearance," said Melinda Stevens, director of NCMEC's missing-children division.

Authorities have said her death is considered suspicious and foul play is suspected.

Stevens said Shannon's mother told investigators that she didn't know what might have happened. Shannon's parents were separated, and her father was living in Mississippi. Shannon had spoken to her father and was making him plans to visit him during the upcoming summer, Stevens said.

"She seemed happy," Stevens said.

About a month after Shannon went missing, police received information that she may have been spotted in the Orlando, Fla., area. But that tip was never confirmed, Stevens said.

Shannon would be 41 years old now.

She is white and has brown hair and brown eyes. According to NCMEC, she was about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds when she went missing.

Shannon has scars on her stomach and near her left eye, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. She was last seen wearing high khaki boots and possibly a white fur coat.

Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call police at 410-887-3943 or 410-307-2020, Crime Stoppers at 866-7-LOCKUP (56-2587) or NCMEC at 800-THE-LOST (843-5678).